The present version of this invention relates generally to the field of devices to lock weapons to prevent unauthorized use of the weapon.
This invention relates to locks for weapons, and more particularly to a device that would prevent the unauthorized firing of a weapon.
The gun industry is facing legislation to attempt to make handguns safer such that accidents don""t occur. Children appear to be fascinated with handguns and many injuries occur each year due to a child finding and borrowing a handgun and not understanding the danger which is made even greater when the weapon is loaded. Even if the safety is on, this can easily be defeated hence arming the weapon.
If a child is ambitious enough to find the weapon, then the chances are they can slip the safety to the fire position without even realizing what they have done. This is especially dangerous when the weapon is loaded. Unnecessary accidents could be avoided by keeping weapons unloaded and also by having additional locking mechanisms for the weapons. If the weapon is unloaded and locked, then the curious child must find both the ammunition, know how to load the weapon, find the key and unlock the weapon to make it functional.
Many times no deterrent devices are used on the handgun and the handgun can be operated when found causing accidental injuries or can be used to commit crimes. The prior art shows many deterrent devices and there are several on the market, to deter or prevent the unauthorized operation of a weapon.
Many deterrent devices are bulky exterior ad ons to the weapon itself making them harder to holster and store. These ad ons can also affect the look of the weapon in a negative way. Some require custom work be done on the weapon, like drilling or other machine work. This thus creates a custom weapon which has questionable value to collectors. A later owner of this custom weapon may have a harder time getting a gun smith to repair or maintain this custom device. While these bulky exterior ad ons to the weapon increase cost, don""t look that good, require custom work and complicate maintenance and repairs, some of them are effective in deterring unauthorized firing of the weapon.
Some deterrent devices use rings or other transmitters which must be within a certain distance of a weapon to allow the weapon to fire. These have batteries which may run down causing inconvenience at the least. In the worst case, one would not be able to be fired in the case of a life threatening emergency.
Many weapons are also stolen. These weapons can be and many times are used to commit crimes and then discarded. It would be helpful if persons who steal weapons would be discouraged from being able to operate them. Many times the deterrence devices used are easy to defeat if one has tools and the time to defeat them. The weapon will be largely unaffected by the careful removal of, for example, a trigger lock. This thus allows the weapon to be sold to another or used with relative ease, once the trigger lock is removed. While many deterrence devices can be defeated, the more difficult it is to defeat, the less likely a thief will steal that weapon instead choosing to leave the weapon in hopes of finding one that is easier to defeat.
Most weapons have a safety device where the weapon can be loaded and the safety device engaged such that the weapon cannot fire. This is accomplished by many means in the prior art, one such method is to separate the link between the trigger and the hammer. This separation can be accomplished in many ways or methods. Generally, it is done by physically moving this link between the trigger and the hammer such that pulling the trigger does not engage the hammer. When the safety device is not engaged, the link between the trigger and hammer is active and the weapon can be fired. Other safety devices use various pins or bars to prevent the operation of components within the hand gun impeding the ability to fire the weapon. There are many ways to prevent a handgun from firing with mechanical components and the preferred method depends largely on the design of the handgun itself and creativity of the engineering staff.
Many weapons utilize a lever as a safety device. Disengaging the trigger from the hammer involves rotating the lever such that the lever moves the link and the trigger and hammer are not engaged. Rotating the lever again allows the link to engage the trigger and the hammer thereby arming the weapon. The lever could also be used to prevent movement of other elements or separate other elements which would also prevent the handgun from firing.
One disadvantage with the lever safety method is that anyone authorized or unauthorized can disengage the safety device. If one finds a loaded weapon, it is likely that they will be able to disengage the lever safety device making the weapon operable. It would be convenient if a locking mechanism were available that could fix the lever safety device such that when the trigger and hammer are disengaged or the weapon is locked, the weapon cannot be made operable without the authorized user of the weapon.
It would also be beneficial if this locking mechanism did not affect the profile of the weapon with a bulky exterior ad on to the weapon but would be internally contained and interact with components on the interior of the weapon. This locking mechanism should not change the look of the weapon so that the weapon is still desirable to collectors. This locking mechanism should be difficult to defeat so that it could not be used immediately after it is found or stolen.
It would be beneficial if this locking mechanism would use the existing safety device or be designed such that the locking mechanism could be made from the existing safety device components with minimal modifications and contained primarily within the interior of the weapon. This is beneficial from both the aesthetics standpoint and the manufacturer""s cost standpoint.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a locking mechanism for handguns.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the prior art for locking weapons, there is a need for a locking device that is effective, does not negatively effect the look of the weapon, does not require custom work on the weapon, is not a bulky exterior ad on to the weapon, and can easily be incorporated into the design of the weapon by the manufacturer.
A first object of the invention is to provide a device that is effective in locking a weapon to the unauthorized user.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device that is aesthetically appealing and does not wreck the profile of the weapon to collectors.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a device that does not require unappealing major custom work to the weapon to install the device.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a device that can be easily incorporated into the existing design of the weapon by the manufacturers and be contained primarily within the weapon.
These together with other objects of this invention, along with various features of novelty which characterize this invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of this invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of this version of the invention.